Dubai, UAE, 18 July 2018: H.E. Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), issued a statement on the Chinese President, Xi Jinping’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, through a Press communiqué. Sultan bin Ahmed said: “The UAE and China have a long history of economic cooperation, which developed greatly under the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was keen to strengthen these important relations. He was a forward-looking visionary who recognised the important role China plays in the international community.”

H.E. Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber

Sultan bin Ahmed added: “Our relationship with China is a long-term strategic one that encompasses a multitude of aspects; political, economic, cultural, social, tourism, among others. The UAE-China relationship is rooted in the principles of mutual respect, constructive dialogue and meaningful cooperation to achieve their common interests in a variety of sectors.”

This is “the first foreign visit by the Chinese President following his re-election, and it confirms the important status the UAE has attained thanks to the vision of its wise leadership,” Sultan bin Ahmed noted. “The visit will contribute greatly to strengthening the strategic relations between the UAE and China, with the leadership of the two friendly countries having a common view on basic topics, the most important of which is that economic and social development is the basis for achieving security and stability in the region and the world. The leadership of the UAE and China are committed to working towards security, peace, stability, growth, prosperity and progress for humanity as a whole.”

The communiqué said Sultan bin Ahmed stated that the strategic cooperation between the UAE and the People’s Republic of China aims to realise the interests of both countries across an array of fields, including politics, economy, trade, energy, technology, culture and tourism. The communiqué further said Sultan bin Ahmed stressed that there is already tangible, substantive cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector, with a significant number of projects and initiatives underway between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Chinese energy companies.